Buying Likes on Facebook is Forbidden in Islam: Grand Mufti of Egypt

While the Cambridge data Analytical controversy regarding Facebook Data Breach is in talks, a grand Egypt mufti has passed a decree claiming that Buying Likes on Facebook and other social media platforms to boost your page is forbidden in Islam.

“Buying Likes” mechanism is used by many group admins of Facebook who want to get more and more followers on their Facebook page.

Egypt’s Grand Mufti has issued a ‘fatwa’ against Buying Likes on Facebook

While telling about buying likes on Facebook, Shawki Allam said that:

“Boosting content is permissible in Sharia law as long as it’s in a manner to promote an account, a product, a page or a publication in order for the content to reach a certain number of user targeted in exchange of money,”

He further added that as the number of like gain through boost means and the people who are following the advertised product are not reflective of real life circumstances, so they are immoral and this act is considered as the deceiving. For these reasons Islam doesn’t allow it.

#AMAY| Grand Mufti says buying Facebook ‘likes’ is deceiving, forbidden in Islam https://t.co/KkEqUImuPM

— Egypt Independent (@EgyIndependent) April 12, 2018

Mufti said that the boosting in some content is only permissible if its simply the money that the page controller spends in return of service which should be termed reaching out to a certain number of audience.

Allam further explained that by boosting page interactions, one get fake reactions, like and comments. He termed it as blatant violation of honesty. he termed it a fraud . He said that fake likes are  misleading to the audience as it doesn’t show tangible numbers.

He also revealed that policies of social media Apps say that the pages cannot have fake and misleading content. Well we can not comment on it yet until or unless more light is shed upon the issue.

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